Max Verstappen heads to Melbourne on a two-fold mission, to secure his second win of the season and to return Red Bull to the top step of the podium at Albert Park for the first time since 2011.
A driveshaft failure in qualifying in Jeddah last time out left Verstappen chasing from behind, a race that saw the Dutchman rise to second but unable to catch teammate Sergio Perez.
So Verstappen is eager to extend next weekend the meager championship lead he currently enjoys over the Mexican. However, the stats aren't on the two-time world champion's side given Red Bull's poor track record in Melbourne for over a decade.
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"I’m looking forward to going to Australia again, it’s always nice to be there and experience Melbourne a little, although from a racing point of view, it is not one that has been too kind to us over the years," Verstappen admits.
"The track is great with some high-speed corners, and one I enjoy driving so hopefully we can have a good race this weekend.
"We just need it to be straightforward and consistent. We haven’t won there as a Team since 2011, so let’s see what we can do."
On the other side of the Red Bull Racing garage, Perez will head into his weekend bolstered by his flawless display in Jeddah that rewarded him with his fifth career win in F1.
"I was massively proud of the Team and our performance in Jeddah," he said in his team's Australian Grand Prix preview.
"I had a complete weekend and that was one of my aims this season, to be consistent across all three days.
"But we are only two races into the season and have to keep pushing to make sure we continue this great start to the season.
"Bahrain and Saudi are very different tracks to each other and Australia will be another challenge for us and this car.
"We have great pace and are working so hard together to make sure our reliability is there too. It’s been a fun start to 2023 but that won’t matter if we don’t maintain our high level."
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